Post date: Aug 27, 2013 11:58:25 AM
The gang rape of a photo journalist in India's financial capital Mumbai has re-ignited the debate over women's safety in India who believe nothing has changed on ground as they continue to live in fear despite the massive outcry that enveloped the nation after the brutal gang rape of a paramedic in New Delhi.
NEW DELHI, INDIA (AUGUST 27, 2013) (REUTERS) - Women across India say they continue to live a life of fear and the gang rape of a young photo journalist in Mumbai has once again exposed their vulnerability even as authorities claim massive strides in bolstering women's safety after the brutal New Delhi gang rape.
Gang rape of a young photojournalist on Thursday (August 22) in Mumbai sparked fresh debate over safety of women in a country still reeling from the brutal gang rape of a paramedic student on a moving bus.The attack took place shortly before sunset in an abandoned textile mill in Mumbai's lower Parel area, a gritty former industrial district that is now one of the city's fastest-growing neighbourhoods of luxury apartments, malls and bars.
The woman was at the mill on an assignment with a male colleague when the pair was separated by the attackers and her colleague was tied up with a belt while she was assaulted.
The latest assault revived memories of the massive outrage that followed the gruesome gang rape and subsequent death of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student in New Delhi that led to protests across India and resulted in stringent anti-rape laws and stricter punishments for rapists.
Indian women say all that outrage has also failed to deter potential predators who continue to hunt their prays in almost every nook and corner of the country.
With a spurt in sexual assaults, rape cases grabbing the headline spaces in every early morning daily, it is still a war like situation for women living in India, as they return late from work, walking down amid catcalls, hisses, lewd remarks and whistling from men passing by.
Tanvi Sood, a media professional working in New Delhi who returned after a degree from the United States, said the whole atmosphere was very unsettling.
"I think it's extremely unsafe, I think it is very unsettling what happened in Delhi as well as in Mumbai, it is unsettling because it is so close to home. We are talking inDelhi now but it is happening in Mumbai, it's happening in Srinagar, it's happening in the rural part of Bihar. So the thing is that it is happening all over the country," said Tanvi.
New Delhi alone has reported 463 rape cases in 2013 till April 15 as against 179 during the same period in 2012 clearly indicating the situation was far from satisfactory.
Shahswati, a working professional, said that despite the new laws, the slow pace of justice failed to deter potential trouble makers.
"There were demands for stricter laws, stricter action, but here we are today! There is no justice being meted out to the criminals (of the Delhi gang rape) and like after that, there is this Bombay (Mumbai) rape case and again there is huge uproar but then there is no fear of the justice system, no fear of police or any of that," saidShaswati.
Earlier in March the Indian government had introduced tougher rape laws in response to the December attack, and they include the death penalty for repeat offenders and for those whose victims were left in a "vegetative state". But lack of enforcement has left the women vulnerable to frequent attacks of which many are even not reported because of the fear of a lifelong stigma.
India has a clutch of powerful women politicians including Sonia Gandhi, the chief of the ruling Congress party and arguably the country's most powerful lawmaker.
But the realities for many Indian women stand in grim contrast where statistics show that a woman is raped every twenty minutes in India and discrimination against girls and female foeticide are common.
Brinda Karat, a leading women's rights activist and a leftist lawmaker said several offenders committed the crime because they believed that the law would fail to catch up with them.
"The question is you don't have in this country the certainty of punishment and that is what is so critical here. If a person believes that he is not going to be punished, well he is going to be committing all kinds of criminal acts and particularly as far as sexual assault is concerned. The conviction rate is dismal," said Karat.
Meanwhile as India rages and fumes over the increased sexual crime against women, law enforcement agencies boast of considerable achievements in last few months.
Tejinder Luthra, Additional Commissioner of Police of New Delhi said the increase in number of complaints indicate that women now feel more comfortable in coming forward and registering their grievances.
"Women are feeling encouraged to come to the police station and lodge their FIRs. Our registration of crime against women, particularly molestation and rape has gone up manifold. But it doesn't not indicate that the crime has increased, it only indicates that the police is changing its mindset about registration and women are also coming forward to register their complaints," said Luthra.
Indian police seem to have acted instantly in arresting the suspects of the recent Mumbai gang rape where all the five accused were arrested within three days of the gruesome incident.
Despite strong laws, girls and women in largely patriarchal India face a barrage of threats - including rape, dowry-related murder, forced marriage, domestic violence and human trafficking.
United Nations figures show that 1.8 in every 100,000 Indian women is a victim of rape.
Karat also questioned the role of some of the politicians who have often blamed the women for wearing revealing clothes and of the influence of Bollywood films on youth for the spurt in rape crimes.
"Why is there conspiracy of silence among large sections of our people? Why do politicians for example continue in many cases to blame women?," Karat said.
Even as the fresh debate rages on over the safety of women, the accused in theNew Delhi gang rape case - who are being tried in a "fast track court" - have still not been punished.
Lawyers are still conducting the closing arguments in the case which has become a lightening torch for such crimes in India.